Overview
Eligible African applicants, including citizens or refugees resident in Niger, can pursue selected University of Edinburgh online Master's programmes through the 2027/28 Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. The online scholarship covers full approved tuition fees.
Complete scholarship details
The 2027/28 application process has a mandatory pre-application step: prospective applicants must attend a virtual information session between 15 and 24 September 2026 to become eligible for an invitation to apply. For online applicants, the University currently lists sessions on 17, 22 and 24 September. Eligible attendees are notified from 13 October whether they are invited to apply. Invited candidates must complete the Applicant Declaration by 19 October 2026 at 17:00 UK time, and candidates who pass that stage must submit the Scholarship Main Application by 19 November 2026 at 17:00 UK time. The online scholarship covers full approved tuition fees; eligible online Master's programmes are studied part-time for up to three years.
Eligibility requirements
Applicants must be residents and citizens of an African country, or hold refugee status in an African country; this includes eligible applicants in Niger. They must demonstrate barriers to education, leadership and community service, and experience or ambition to address the climate crisis. For the 2027/28 cycle applicants must be age 35 or under in the year the programme begins (born on or after 1 January 1992). Master's applicants should not have previously completed a postgraduate degree and must meet the academic requirements for the selected eligible programme. Attendance at a mandatory information session is required before access to the scholarship application.
Tips for this scholarship
Practical Job and Scholarship guidance. These tips do not replace official rules or create new eligibility requirements.
- Check eligibility, funding coverage, study/project level and every required document before investing time in the application.
- Prepare transcripts, references, language tests, proposal/motivation statement and proof documents early.
- Separate the scholarship deadline from any university/program admission deadline; they may be different.
- Treat “fully funded” as a source fact only when the official provider explicitly confirms the covered costs.
Verification notes
Verified against the University of Edinburgh's current 2027/28 application instructions, eligibility page, application timeline and online-scholarship page. The main scholarship application closes 19 November 2026 at 5 PM UK time; the UK is on GMT by 19 November, so this is 17:00 UTC. A mandatory information session between 15 and 24 September 2026 is an earlier prerequisite, so applicants must not wait until the November main deadline to begin.
Job and Scholarship is the discovery and verification layer. Confirm eligibility, dates, salary/funding and application instructions on the original source before submitting anything.
University of Edinburgh — Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program ↗